{style inspiration: boyish charm}

. . . yesterday, late-monday afternoon, a dress and boots and camel coat, we, [p & i] took a little time out to take in an art fair, and on the way out the door, noticed his attire, dashing as ever in a chambray shirt and grey tweed blazer, and tan leather brogues, and thought again about perfect juxtapositions -- old & new and rustic & refined, modern & traditional, and city & country -- and so, to this unabashedly romantic and feminine place, shall add a little mix of boyish charm, just for p. . . .









































{images: one // two // three // four // five // six // seven // eight // nine // ten // eleven // twelve // thirteen // fourteen // fifteen // sixteen // seventeen // eighteen // nineteen // twenty // twenty-one}

{table for two: pumpkin meringue tartelettes}

. . . and what could possibly be more fitting for the last blustery days of autumn than pumpkin meringue tartelettes?

[recipe after the jump] x

CONTINUE ---------------------------------->

{favourite five: artist janet hill}

"Painting is just another way of keeping a diary."

~Pablo Picasso

If Janet Hill’s paintings were a diary, they would tell a tale of waking up with the sun to black coffee and a blueberry muffin, donning a nautically-inspired pleated skirt and deciding on a pair of beautifully embellished heels, arranging bouquets in a favourite vase before dashing out the door, for a bicycle ride across town to a favourite patisserie to fetch delectable desserts for an afternoon tea party . . .



Hill, an oil painter who works from her in-house studio in Stratford, Ontario, seeks to find the glamour in her surroundings. Her paintings, displayed in private collections throughout North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia, create a longing for lazy Sundays, picnics and high tea, all while dressed in duchesse satin gowns and perfect pearls, and carrying Hermès Kelly handbags, of course!





The inspiration for her paintings, filled with the sweet nostalgia of times gone by, of timeless fashion and elegant pastimes, comes from many different places, including films, both classic and modern, and so, this week, we invite her to share with us her:

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{top five favourite films:}

1. Gone With The Wind (1939) | watch the trailer
I love a strong female lead, particularly if she is vain and very strong willed. I think that there's a little bit of Scarlett in every one of my portrait paintings.

2. Henry & June (1990) | watch the trailer
Bohemian Paris in the 1930's. It's my visual hunting ground for ideas and images that I return to over and over again.

3. Bell Book and Candle (1958) | watch the trailer
This movie has those fabulous vibrant 1950's colours and interiors. It's a little silly and strange and Kim Novak is to me what Audrey Hepburn is to a lot of women.

4. The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button (2008) | watch the trailer
I was prepared to be annoyed by this film, mainly because of Brad Pitt as the shrunken little man, but instead I was charmed by it. I love the cinematography and the magic realism element. It really captures life as a magical and beautiful place which is something that I try to portray in my work.

5. No Country For Old Men (2007) | watch the trailer
I have a bit of a dark side and this movie really satisfies it. Explaining how it influences me is a little difficult. I love the austerity, the isolation, and the unpredictable nature of the film. I paint a lot of empty rooms and a lot of people by themselves. I really enjoy solitude and I think there's an element of loneliness (albeit a happy kind of alone-ness) in many of my paintings.

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p r e v i o u s f a v o u r i t e f i v e s :

* jewelry designer: suzie gallehugh
* artist: michelle armas
* jewelry designers: megan & moira flynn
* actress & writer: shiva rose
* jeweler: camille eddera
* artist: kimia kline
* actress & fashion muse: chloë sevigny
* floral stylist, part 1: denise porcaro
* floral stylist, part 2: denise porcaro
* fashion photographer & illustrator: garance doré
* interior designer & architect: nina freudenberger
* entrepreneurs: rent the runway
* designer: rachel ashwell
* interior designer: tricia foley
* photographer: romina shama
* food editor & author: donna hay

~ laily

{table for two: meringue-encased lemon cakes}

. . . perfect for mid-march soirées and even better, dinners outdoors . . .

{meringue-encased lemon cakes:}

125g butter, softened
1 cup (220g) caster (superfine) sugar
1/4 cup finely grated lemon rind
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups (225g) plain (all-purpose) flour, sifted
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, sifted
1/2 cup (80ml) milk
2 tablespoons lemon juice
6 scoops vanilla ice-cream
basic meringue mixture {see below}

preheat the oven to 160°c (320°f); place the butter, sugar and lemon rind in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until light and creamy; gradually add the eggs and beat well; fold in the flour, baking powder, milk and lemon juice; spoon the mixture into 6 x 1 cup-capacity (250ml) lightly greased muffin tins and bake for 30 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer; cool in tins for 5 minutes; remove and cool on a wire rack

using a tablespoon, scoop out a hole in the top of each cake and fill with a scoop of ice-cream; place the cakes on a tray and freeze for 30 minutes; spread the basic meringue mixture over the cakes and place on a baking tray; cook under a preheated hot grill (broiler) or in a preheated 200°c (390°f) oven for 2-3 minutes or until the meringue is set and golden; serve immediately; makes 6

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{basic meringue mixture}

150ml eggwhites (approximately 4 eggs)
1 cup (220g) caster (superfine) sugar
1 teaspoon white vinegar

place the eggwhites in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until stiff peaks form; gradually add the sugar and vinegar and beat until the mixture is thick and glossy; use immediately

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{p.s.} previous table for two posts:
* homemade french baguettes
* crab bruschetta


{image: scan by this is glamorous from seasons by donna hay}